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    Viennese Spring Water: Energy Drink the Austrian Way

    With its lakes, rivers, and countless streams, Austria is considered the "land of water" among the Alpine countries. Vienna’s drinking water is especially famous.

    Blaue Quelle

    The most beautiful water springs in Austria

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    Rain, Mountains, and Reservoirs

    Austria – Land of Water

    You might have heard of Vienna's famous water. But what is it that makes it so outstanding, so different that it earns the country the title "land of water"? For geologists or hydrologists, the appeal is first and foremost the result of a series of lucky coincidences when Earth was formed. Dr. Gerhard Schubert, head of the Hydreology and Geothermal Energy department of the Geological Survey of Austria in Vienna, an institution researching and documenting the country's geology, focuses his research on domestic and mineral waters as well as healing and thermal springs.

    Sufficient rain, mighty Alps, and plenty of reservoirs in the mountains for thermal, mineral and ground water all play their part in making Vienna's water the best in the world. However, there's more to it! Dr. Gerhard Schubert uses his expert knowledge to explain why Austria is so blessed with pure water.

    • Gollinger Wasserfall / Golling Waterfall
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    • "Geology forms the vessel, in which ground water moves, is stored and released again. Austria has the Alps with all its aquifers where water can flow through and be held." This type of rock body with hollow spaces is ideal for directing the ground water. In the foothills of the Alps – the regions of Salzburg, Upper and Lower Austria – and within the Alps, there are also deep basins that have turned into enormous reservoirs. Mineral water has been stored there underground for thousands of years.

      Does Austria take good care of its water resources? "It’s a cycle," says Dr. Schubert. "The water is constantly being produced and replenished. And water resources management ensures that the ground water level never drops. The water in circulation for use is a mere fraction of what is available." A reassuring thought.

    • Source of Health: The Viennese Drinking Water and Its History

      The Viennese mountain spring water is ice cold, pure, straight from the mountains and "of excellent taste - not mineralised too little or too much," as Dr. Schubert attests. Isotope analysis show that some of this water even dates back to the ice age.

      150 years ago it wasn’t looking that good for the Viennese water, with contaminated drinking water from local wells leading to disease and high mortality in the city. Eduard Suess, a local geologist and politician living in the 19th century, aimed to find a way to supply the urban population with clean water. His suggestion: Looking for springs outside the city to provide households with water that was safe to drink.

    • Suess found the solution in the alpine plateaus on the Schneeberg and Rax in Lower Austria. The untouched grounds of the high mountains ensured that the water was clean.

      But how was the water supposed to make its way the roughly 100 kilometres to the city? Suess managed to solve this problem with the help of a brick canal and 30 aqueducts. The First Vienna Spring Water Main was completed in time for the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair. Spring water first gushed from the Hochstrahlbrunnen fountain on today’s Schwarzenbergplatz, and ever since, the Viennese have enjoyed first-class, mountain water. Emperor Franz Joseph I. honoured Suess in a letter for developing the pipeline. The locals still benefit from his invention to date. The Second Vienna Spring Water Main followed in 1910 and keeps supplying the city with water from the Hochschwab Mountains in Styria.

    The Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain on Schwarzenbergplatz: Mountain Spring Water for the World Fair

    • Hochstrahl fountain at Schwarzenbergplatz in vienna at night
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    "Austria's Energy Drink" in Numbers

    What Makes Viennese Water So Special? Five Crystal Clear Reasons

    Many people – most certainly the Viennese – call it the best tap water in the world. And rightly so. Here are five reasons why the water that comes from the Styrian-Lower Austrian Alps and supplies the metropolis is of the highest quality:

    • Waterfall in the Ötztal valley
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      1. Mountain Spring Water From Unspoilt Nature

      For more than 100 years, the Viennese have been enjoying water from two headwaters in the regions of Schneeberg, Rax, Schneealpe, and Hochschwab: protected natural landscapes.

    • Schneeberg
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      2. In 36 Hours From the Mountains to the City

      The mountain spring water travels down 330 kilometres of canals to all of the metropolis’ water pipes as well as around 1,000 drinking fountains. This takes 36 hours.

    • Grawa Waterfall in Upper Stubai Valley
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      3. Soft and Refreshing

      With its high oxygen content, cool temperature and low lime content, the mountain water tastes particularly refreshing.

    • Woman drinks clear mountain spring water
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      4. Ice Cold – Almost Like Fresh From the Spring

      Everyone not used to it will immediately notice the cold temperature of Viennese water. This is thanks to the partly underground canal network.

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      5. Recommended by Connoisseurs

      High in calcium, magnesium, and sulphate: the mountain water from the Styrian-Lower Austrian Alps is of equally high quality as still mineral water.

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    Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna
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    Complimentary Tap Water in the Coffee Houses and Restaurants

    "A Glass of Water, Please, Waiter!"

    It wasn’t long ago that ordering tap water was frowned upon in restaurants, especially by the owners who were - perhaps rightly - concerned about their turnover. Austria's coffeehouses, however, are a different story: No Kleiner Brauner, Melange or Häferlkaffee is ever served without a glass of water on a silver tray. The little tradition is upheld first and foremost in Vienna – unsurprisingly considering the Viennese mountain spring water is particularly valued here.

    By now, the majority of Austrian restaurants has made peace with many guests' preference for tap water as well. And most guests are aware that water shouldn't be your only order once seated. Many hosts consider it a courteous gesture to place a water jug on the table without even being asked for it. Hospitality might have been invented in Austria after all...

    Vienna’s Refreshing Fountain World

    The excellent mountain spring water doesn't just come from Vienna’s water pipes, but also from around 55 monumental and memorial fountains all around the city. The elaborate, historical water dispensers offer a refreshing spray, and are usually also pleasant places to take a break - great reasons to check them out when out and about in the city.

    • Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna
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      Inner Courtyard Fountain at Schönbrunn Palace

      The history of Schönbrunn begins in the 14th century when it was a hunting ground. Maria Theresia extended the baroque part of the palace – including the inner courtyard fountain.

    • Belvedere Palace / Belvedere
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      Belvedere Palace Fountains

      Prince Eugene received permission to use the imperial water supply for his palace and had numerous fountains installed. 

    • Albertinaplatz Vienna
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      Albrechtsbrunnen Fountain on Albertinaplatz

      The monumental marble fountain with "Danubius and Vindobona" (River Danube and the City of Vienna) written on it and various sculptures around it was built in the late 19th century.

    • Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum) / Art-history Museum
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      Tritonen- and Najadenbrunnen Fountains on Maria Theresienplatz

      World Heritage Site "Historic Centre of Vienna": Four fountains can be found between the Natural History Museum and the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.

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